All Tied Up
by Grasshopper
Summary: //Are You Game?, Zack x Aerith// Zack has a new gift for his girl. Aerith shows her appreciation with all due enthusiasm.


**Title:** All Tied Up  
**Author:** Grasshopper (A.K.A. The Undertaker's Muse)  
**Rated:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** Humor. Blink-and-miss angst. Hetero-type romance. Slight nudity. RIBBONS.  
**Fandom:** Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-  
**Challenge:** Are You Game?  
**Prompt:** Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Zack/Aeris: Ribbons and bows Tie me up, tie me down  
**Spoilers:** None, really, so long as you know the characters.  
**Pairings:** Zack/Aerith  
**Summary:** Zack has a new gift for his girl. Aerith shows her appreciation with all due enthusiasm.  
**Author's Notes:** How much I adore these two, I can't even BEGIN. Which makes them all the more difficult to write for. *cries*  
**Disclaimer:** All things _Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-_ belong to Square-Enix. Grassy only lays claim to the plot.

* * *

Whenever Zack came a'calling on his pretty flower girl, he more often than not brought along a small gift or two. After a bit of trial and error (and error...and error) he settled upon varying types of seeds for her garden as gifts. Every once in a while, though, Zack chose something a bit more frivolous than the usual.

And the lengthy spool of ribbon - shiny and soft, but still so sturdy - slipped across his rough fingertips in a cool spill of satin the same bright green hue of Aerith's eyes. Beautiful eyes that lit up at the sight of Zack and accompanied by her bright, happy smile.

Zack knew that smile. He loved that smile; wanted to protect it and Aerith with all of himself. (Even if he wasn't quite qualified to be a hero and she was a bit more scrappy than most princesses found in fairy tales.)

"Hmm..." Aerith's smile slid from one of greeting to something rather more sly. "That looks interesting."

"Eh? What does?"

Aerith peered up at him from beneath lowered lashes in apparent shyness. (Not that he believed it for a moment.) "Well...**that**." Slim fingers danced across his own that still held onto the ribbon.

"Oh. The ribbon." He looked at the shining green contrasting with their differing skin tones. More suitable than even he'd thought and, despite the occasional jeer for willingly admitting to such, Zack had exceptional dress sense. (At least in certain cases.) Releasing his grip on said ribbon as Aerith tugged upon the length of it, Zack smiled as a happy hum escaped from her. "I couldn't resist; it's the color of your eyes."

"Zack..." _Thank you._ Auburn head bowed over hands that clutched the gift to her heart, Aerith smiled. Zack never failed to move her, be it for better or worse. (Hopefully it wouldn't be the end of her.)

"There's quite a bit there. What d'you plan on doing with it all?" One rough finger poked the spool in question.

"Oh, I can think of a few things."

Zack rather found the mischievous flash of her smile to be quite the turn-on.

* * *

Aerith sat back on her heels, admiring the view before her. She'd seen Zack in many different situations, in varying degrees of dress. Surrounded by her pale flowers and arms bound together with slinky green ribbon while otherwise nude was something of a first, though. She rather thought it deserved a repeat performance at a later date. She'd mention it to him, too, just as soon as her thought processes stopped shorting out.

Then he shifted, arms and ribbons rippling enticingly. And her mind blanked once more.

"I think...you look better in my ribbons than I do."

Zack smirked, enjoying her flustered tone. "Well, I **am** the epitome of cute. It's only to be expected."

In retaliation, Aerith lightly tugged upon the end of the length of ribbon. The play of light and shadow and ribbon and flesh enraptured her. He truly was an exceptional specimen of the male gender.

Maybe next time she'd let Zack do the tying up. It was only fair, after all. (And better to play at being captive to her lover than falling prey to the sight of labs and white and Hojo from behind her closed eyes.)

* * *

**The End**


End file.
